Altesa BioSciences closed a $75 million Series B to advance vapendavir, an oral antiviral that targets rhinovirus, into larger COPD‑focused clinical testing. The round, led by Forbion with participation from Sanofi and others, follows a Phase 2a challenge study that showed symptom improvement and shorter illness duration in infected COPD patients. Altesa, led by CEO Brett Giroir, plans a placebo‑controlled mid‑stage study in Q2. The financing repurposes a previously studied antiviral toward preventing COPD exacerbations driven by common respiratory viruses—an outcome‑oriented development strategy that seeks to reduce hospitalizations and long‑term morbidity.